Why do men and women travel differently? Study sheds light on gender differences

Despite more similar roles at work and home than ever
before, U.S. men and women continue to have different travel behavior.
Historically, employed men have spent more time traveling to work and less time
on household and family support trips than women.

While this difference is well-documented, explanations for
the difference vary widely: some theories say it’s due to biologically driven
differences in gender, while others attribute it to socially constructed gender
roles or to gendered structural contexts such as labor market segregation and
economic inequality.

While much research has examined these theories, few studies
have tested their validity based on evidence—which prompted U of M researchers
to examine the theories more deeply in attempt to effectively address gender
equity issues in transportation policy.

The researchers set out to test the competing theories by
analyzing publicly available data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) in
various ways across groups of workers with different types of family
structures.

First, they tested the theory that travel behavior differences were
based on biologically driven gender differences. “If this theory was
true, travel differences between men and women could be applied across
all population groups regardless of family structure, but this was not
the case,” Fan explains. “We found that single female workers and single
male workers exhibit no significant difference in travel behavior.”

Next, the team studied the impact of gendered structural
contexts, such as women’s greater presence in pink-collar occupations
and significantly lower earnings. The team found moderate support for
this theory. “These factors are associated with shorter work travel time
among some—but not all—family structures,” Fan says.

Researchers did find strong support, however, for the theory
that socially constructed gender roles explain travel behavior
differences. “We discovered that while marriage alone doesn’t
differentiate travel behavior between men and women, parenthood does
have a significant impact,” Fan says. “Interestingly, we found that even
being the sole breadwinner does not insulate mothers from socially
constructed gender roles—female breadwinners in married single-worker
households with children have shorter work commutes and more household
support travel than male breadwinners in the same family structure.”

According to the researchers, these findings have important
implications. First, policies to minimize auto travel (for environmental
purposes, for example) may be unfair to women who wish to reach more
job possibilities through longer commutes. In addition, the findings
highlight the importance of incorporating parenthood as a prime variable
in understanding the gender and mobility connection.

Finally, this research provides insights on how future growth
or decline in specific family structures may shape travel demand. “As
childless households continue to grow in relation to households with
children, it’s possible that fewer female workers will be confined by
short work commutes and may choose to spend more time commuting to more
desirable jobs, placing new demands on the transportation system,” Fan
says.

The research was funded in part by a Minnesota Population Center Program Development Grant.